


First Time

by HeddaGab



Series: GQWeek18 [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, F/F, F/M, GQWeek18, Hyperion Heights, Magic, Memory Loss, Resurrection, Roni's Bar (Once Upon a Time), Slow Burn, Swearing, The Gold Mills Family, United Realms, after the finale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 05:05:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16381967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeddaGab/pseuds/HeddaGab
Summary: A couple of months after the union of all the Realms, a trip back to Hyperion Heights holds a surprise for everyone and especially Regina. Rumple may be very much alive...Written for GQWeek18. Prompts used: Golden Queen + First times (Day 2) /  Golden Queen + another Ouat couple (Day 4) /  The Gold Mills Family (Canon or AU) (Day 6)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Primarily a Golden Queen fic. SLOW BURN. Rated M for future chapters (could be bumped to E if necessary)
> 
> Other relationships appear: familial, friendships and romance. If you think a relationship should be tagged in their main tag at any time, let me know, for now I'm tagging everything apart from GQ (and Mad Archer as the seconary ship) in the additional tags
> 
> As chapters progress so will the tags update.
> 
> ENJOY :)

“Hey wait for me! Robin come on, wait!”

Henry Mills was short of breath. His cousin hadn’t made it easy for him- an admittedly not much of an athletic guy- keeping up with her walking up and down the Hyperion Heights’ streets on this trip. A couple of weeks after the unison of all the realms back home and his mom’s coronation, there they were again, back at Hyperion Heights. Only this time it wasn’t a great doom or a curse or anything magical that brought them here – well, except the magic bean they used to realm jump of course. Unison of all the realms implied _magical_ realms; the world without magic would have to take a little more effort to get to, even now that the grounds have been supercharged with Gothel’s residual magic thus allowing certain magical manifestations to occur.

It was the people who lived in Hyperion Heights that asked for this trip. They wanted some things they had left behind in their hurry to save the world and their loved ones back way when and with all the commotion they just never got around it sooner.  Henry and Robin ended up volunteering. His mom, being the Queen now, was out of the question. Tiana had assumed some responsibilities Regina had assigned her in good faith of her leadership skills and also she and Naveen were on the honeymoon phase of their relationship, they wanted some peace and quiet at this point. Lucy and Alice both begged them to come with but Robin insisted her “little bunny rabbit” should stay behind and spend time with her dad, he was too excited to organize their wedding to be left alone, and it would be a great bonding experience for them. Plus the trip would be short, a couple of days tops.

Henry had said a similar thing to Lucy who was just jumping up and down of excitement when she heard they were going back to the place she called home for so long. She should stay with her mom and keep up with her schoolwork. “ _You have so many unexplored places over here Lucy. Don’t worry, I’ll bring you whatever you want from Hyperion Heights and I’ll even take pictures of anything you’d like, okay_?” he remembered uttering before they said their goodbyes yesterday. He tried to get her list from his jacket pocket to check it and he surely wasn’t going to run after his crazy tomboy of a cousin.

“Robin I’m staying put, if you wanna run off, be my guest” he said loudly.

“Well at least stay on the pavement and not on the street you big buffoon” he heard her say and in a few seconds he felt her nudging him to the left. “And you’re supposed to be the older one. Pffft”

The blonde girl shoved him a bit too hard and Henry lost his footing, going straight up on a garbage can that was located at the corner of the alley near them. While he hit it with his back, the list fell of his hands. Fortunately, Robin’s reflexes were quick and she grabbed it before it got lost by a light breeze of the wind or random street water ruminating at the side of the pavement. “I’m so sorry Henry, I didn’t mean to…” The girl stopped her apology midair when she stood up and laid eyes towards his direction.

“Don’t move.” The words fell on Henry’s cheek as the man who had grabbed his mouth and put what appeared to be a knife on his throat, grazing it, looked her intensely in the eyes.

Robin raised both her arms very very slowly as she said “We are passing by. Honestly, we mean no harm” Judging by the man’s unkempt appearance, she deduced he was a homeless man, maybe even a slightly paranoid one. His next sentence confirmed her suspicions.

“This is MY alley, MY corner! No one takes that away from me, do you hear me?”

She nodded in the most earnest way and said in a calm voice “We don’t want that, really. It’s all yours. We were simply passing through. If you let him go we’ll prove it to you, we’ll go right on our way and you’ll never see us again”

The man with the long and tangled salt and pepper hair and the scruffy beard to match raised the blade from Henry’s neck slightly and he simply said near his ear “Young lad, try anything funny and that blade will belong to you. Your guts that is” He then let his mouth free and draw his body back, giving them a chance to go honest on their word.

Henry walked slowly towards Robin and when they finally were together he turned around to look at the man. “Thank you” he said and just as Robin was taking her first steps away, he froze.

“Didn’t you say you’ll walk away boy? Or have you forgotten my blade?” The man narrowed his amber eyes.

“Henry let’s go”, he felt the sleeve of his shirt getting pulled repeatedly but all his attention remained on the older guy.

“How long have you been here?” the young author asked without moving. The strange man stated looking menacing but he didn’t even flinch. “Please answer me this and we’ll leave you alone, I promise. Please”

A low voice penetrated his chest “You’ve said that before lad. My patience is thinning.”

“Please” Henry almost pleaded and that took the man and Robin both by surprise. That was an unusual emotional display considering, well, everything.

“Around a month. Are you happy now?”

Henry’s eyes welled up and he almost chuckled. “Yes. Very.” he let out right before he finally allowed Robin to drag him away walking in a brisk manner.

“What is wrong with you dude? He had a knife and I don’t have my bow and arrow to protect you. Plus I don’t want to get into a fight with a homeless man, he seemed battered enough. Are you freaking insane?” the blonde girl barked the words under her breath, as if the man could hear them somehow even though they had walked almost two blocks down and he certainly wasn’t following them – she checked.

Henry turned abruptly and grabbed her by the shoulders, halting them both. He was as emotional as he had been right before they left that alley, maybe even more. “Robin I…” his voice cracked slightly “Do you know who that man was? Did anything seem familiar to you?” Robin tried to think and give him her honest answer. Maybe that would stop him and let them carry on with their trip.

“His eyes were kinda familiar but they were brown. Half the population has brown eyes” she said and hoped that would be it. Much to her dismay he wouldn’t let it go.

“Trust me Robin, his eyes WERE familiar and I know because I’ve looked into them countless times. Did you hear what he said? That he came here about a month ago?” Robin was getting frustrated but humored him.

“Yeah, so?”

“Robin…. I’m fairly certain that man is my grandpa. That man over there…is Rumplestiltskin”

Robin rolled her eyes, stomped her foot and started walking uttering “My god, you really are insane” Turning around to face him she continued “We both watched him die Henry, what are you talking about? Is your imagination on high speed again? Write a book, it’ll do you good. This…whatever this is, won’t” After saying that she faced forward again and tried to assume their normal pacing so Henry would drop it but without any luck. He caught up with her and held her arms again, looking straight into her eyes, dead serious.

“Robin. He died. Around a month ago. And we never found his body. We thought it magicked away as a side effect of the sacrifice. But what if that wasn’t it? What if something else is going on over here? We have to call my mom” The last sentence was told not directly to his cousin but at an undetermined point on the horizon before him. Robin looked at him and couldn’t even fathom he entertained that idea.

“You’re not going to worry her for nonsense, Henry, come on! Plus if that was him don’t you think he would have recognized at least you?”

Henry responded calmly “Maybe he’s cursed again. Or maybe that’s not it since Roger’s still alive and well, his good deed hasn’t been undone… Or is that possible?... Maybe he has something in his brain again, maybe the Dark One didn’t leave, maybe he tried to carry Belle in his mind like he did with my dad… I don’t know, maybe…” Robin placed a hand on his shoulder to make him focus back on the present, his hypothesis didn’t make any sense and if she let him carry on with this they’d stand there for hours.

She took a deep breath and said calmly. “If Regina got here to see him would that ease your mind?” As he nodded she said almost to herself “I suppose you two can carry on with the lists, there’s not much left anyway. And I’ll get to see my beautiful girl earlier.”

“All right!” Her voice boomed and startled him. “I’ll go back to the castle, notify auntie, brief her on the situation here and you go wait for her at Roni’s okay? Eat and drink something, clear your head a bit, she’ll be here in a couple of hours. Give me the bean” Henry obliged and the young girl caught it mid air, tossed it in the deserted alley they had found by a quick scanning around the area they stood –a relatively safe place for their little display of magic.

As the portal flared up, Henry shouted to the disappearing figure of the girl “Tell her I’m sure. Tell her to trust me!”

Henry Mills walked the distance to Roni’s bar as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his plaid shirt dressed shoulders. But inside he was feeling light as a feather. He had the heart of the truest believer and it hadn’t betrayed him once so far. It wouldn’t start now.


	2. Chapter 2

“Enough…enough…ENOUGH!”

Everybody in the room turned around to face their Queen slightly astonished at the raised tone of voice. Regina side smiled and almost chuckled to herself, slightly amused with the reaction she could still elicit from them even by such a minor thing such as a booming voice. “Sorry about that” she continued using her sweet as honey “Good Queen” voice. “You are all getting your matters fixed, I can guarantee you that. Speaking on top of each other doesn’t solve anything and trust me, the order I’ll attend to the issues will be fair and just” Her demeanor was soothing the excited spirits so she deemed proper to proceed with the meeting as planned but it seemed that some people had other intentions. The commotion this time wasn’t coming from inside the room but outside. She heard the dwarves trying to stop someone from entering the meeting and after a while she recognized her niece’s voice protesting. It only took a few seconds for her to burst the doors open and lock eyes with the royal brunette.

“Auntie, I really need to talk to you now, it’s important”

Regina was at the very least baffled. She immediately asked about Henry, why he wasn’t with her, if anything had happened to him and after she got the reassurances she needed she walked out of the room in order to listen to the girl, she owed her that much judging by her disposition-- she looked too upset to not get her at least a bit curious and worried.

“Aunt Regina, you need to go to Hyperion Heights. I already have gotten a bean for you” she said as she placed the magical artifact on Regina’s palm and closed her long fingers on top of it. “I’m not going back there, I’m not needed, Henry needs YOU for something, says you’re the only one who can help him” she continued trying to find a way to break the situation to her as normally as possible even though her cousin didn’t make it easy. Robin took a deep breath and after she exhaled she looked straight into Regina’s eyes. “Henry and I had a sort of meeting with a homeless guy there and…after that Henry was convinced he knew the identity of the man. He thinks…” she paused trying to find the most appropriate way to say it. “He thinks that man is Rumplestiltskin”

If you asked Regina to describe to you how she reacted at that moment she wouldn’t remember for the life of hers. Robin saw her jaw drop and her eyes widen, her breathing shallowed and her mouth dried up. But the only thing Regina felt was a bright light in front of her eyes. Surprised that she didn’t actually faint, she tried to collect herself as much as possible in order to utter coherent sentences. “Is he sure?” she whispered.

Robin nodded and explained that he was certain and that he specifically messaged her to trust him. She then proceeded to give her the details of the encounter and let her know where her cousin was waiting for her and what to expect when she’d get there. “Henry is certain that you are the only person who can verify if that person is really Rumple. I don’t know why and I hate to upset you and your schedule like this for something that can easily be a fluke but you know Henry, if he thinks something is true, it’s not going anywhere until he proves it”

Regina knew her boy all too well. He wouldn’t persist if his instincts were not flaring up and whenever they did, it usually meant he was spot on with his suspicions, she herself had been a “victim” of that. Oh he knew what he was talking about, she was certain and yet she couldn’t wrap her full acceptance around it. The logistics of it were occupying her mind for sure, trying to get clear pathways to reach a single answer but that wasn’t the real reason of it or better yet the only reason. The hope that was growing in her heart was the worst. A white rose in full bloom, a golden phoenix shining in all its glory, resurrected and powerful. That’s what her heart looked like and yet she was in agonizing pain. If by any chance this… wasn’t true, she’d have to kill the phoenix over and over until it stayed gone, pluck the roots of that rose until it had no way of growing again.

Lost in her thoughts as she was, she barely saw Snow and Zelena walking rapidly towards them. “Peanut? Is everything all right? Where’s Henry?” she heard her sister’s voice.

“Regina, are you all right?” she saw Snow looking at her eyes, worrisome.

While Robin was arguing with her mom on her insistence of infantilizing her –as she put it—and explained to her the situation briefly, Regina took Snow a bit on the side and after informing her she’d be gone for a while she asked her to take over some of her responsibilities and have Tiana and Zelena (along with Charming off course) help her.

“Regina you can’t leave now, you’re newly elected, the people put their faith in you” Snow tried to counter argue despite her being well aware it’d be in vain. Truth was that she and Charming hadn’t been actively leaders for a long time and that kind of scared her, especially considering the number of places under their current wing. “I’ll assign you and Charming, Tiana and Zelena specific issues don’t worry Snow, you’ll be great. Trust Tiana, she knows what she’s doing and my sister will provide you with unexpected solutions. But keep an eye on her anyway” she chuckled trying to relax her nerves and give Snow a little peace of mind.

“RUMPLE?!” Zelena’s loud voice echoed around the palace. “Ssssshhhhhh!!” Regina swiftly grabbed her by the arm and took her aside. “I don’t want you to speak about this issue until it’s finalized, do you hear me?” Zelena’s eyes burned and annoyed as she was she let a “yes” fall off her lips but she couldn’t help to at least say her part before she left. “I remember your nightmares Regina. For two weeks after he died you were burning up in my embrace with fevers and terrors. Every single night. Do you really want to return to that state again? Hmm? Do you? He’s not worth it, be it true or false”

Regina felt a punch in the heart and her jaw clenched. She looked straight at her sister’s eyes with determination and spoke in a tone that conveyed assurance. “You may have your differences with him Zelena and I know that you love me and you don’t want me to get hurt but I’ll say this once and for all. Rumple is important to me. I tried to deny it, I tried to downplay it, I tried to simply live with it and do nothing about it. But I can’t let my past mistakes define my future. Not anymore. You saw what happened the last time I tried to oppress myself in any way. The Evil Queen saluted you with open….arms”

Zelena cringed at the remembrance of her sister’s image withering and moaning under Rumple’s kisses, wrapping her open legs around him. She mostly was still upset about it because she knew Regina was right. And she hated that. All these years this…thing they had and she knew about ever since she was even aware of their existence wasn’t going away. If she really wanted to be a good sister to Regina she should at least let her live the way she wanted to live. She figured that if the whole situation was a massive mistake in the end, she would be the one here for her, supporting her and loving her. So she hesitantly agreed and let her pass.

“I’m texting Tiana the arrangements right now, go find her” Regina said as she practically run down the corridor with the bean tucked in her palm. “I love you all very much, I’ll see you soon!” she shouted right before she heard all three women calling her name.

"Aunt Regina you need to change! Your clothes! This isn’t a reenactment of “Enchanted”!”

A baffled Regina who had no clue what “Enchanted” was glanced down and realized she was still dressed up with her formal royal attire, high heels and lace with taffeta for days adorning her. She laughed with her whole heart and after a whiff of purple smoke engulfed her she reappeared wearing a classic signature Roni’s look. A tank top, the chain with her name and her rings, short black boots with medium heels, her favorite jeans and off course the leather jacket with the red roses she so loved. She looked down on her hand while her curls fell in front of her eyes. “I’m coming for you” she let out right before she run off in a hurry.

When the clicking of her boot heels on the palace halls’ floor stopped echoing, the three women looked at one another. Robin and Snow were smiling whereas Zelena rolled her eyes and grunted. “Fucking bloody hell, damn you, you little imp”


	3. Chapter 3

Night had fallen and the natural sunlight had been replaced by the lights of the city, the small but blinding car lights, the street lamps, all the lit up store signs... Regina missed that modern world’s vibrancy. Magic would always fill a part of herself so she couldn’t help but feel a great connection to the magical realms but that hustle and bustle that surrounded her in Hyperion Heights was something unique. She and Henry walking in a quick pace, side by side, each step bringing them closer to a moment she would remember for the rest of her life.

“We’re just a block away” Henry noted. Ever since she had been briefed in full detail by her son about the situation, her heart wouldn’t stop beating against her ribcage. Her gut was telling her it was him and he probably was in trouble, in need of help, in need of…. _her_ … She tried to tame her thoughts at least since everything else was flaring up red, she decided clear-headedness and ice cold thought precision wouldn’t abandon her at a time like this. Henry halted and she copied him.

“He’s right inside the alley, probably behind the big garbage cans stacked in the front” he mumbled near her ear, as if he was afraid the man would hear him and run away. She nodded and walked slowly in the middle of the alley entrance so she could be lit by the almost fluorescent street lamp in the corner. She noticed something like limbs moving and heard a fleeting ruffle. She decided to take a few steps forward with Henry following suit right behind her until…

“Whoever you are FUCK RIGHT OFF”

The disheveled bearded man jumped right up, leaning against the can, pointing his knife towards them. His eyes glinted in the darkness, resembling those of a wild beast ready for attack. Henry being stopped at his tracks besides his mom decided to speak up and wave his hand slowly as a sign of good will

“Sir, do you remember me from this afternoon? I was accidentally here with a girl?” The glinting eyes squinted for a second and the knife point wasn’t directed at their faces anymore –now it was more like their legs but Henry considered that a progress.

“Lad, you promised I’d never see you again and now here you are, annoying me. What the hell do you want?”

Regina extended her arm pointing towards him, an open palm trying to diffuse any sign of aggression “May I come closer? I mean no harm”

The man couldn’t see clearly her face either since the street light was hitting her from a weird angle but he could tell she wasn’t the girl the boy was with before. This one was…different. A woman. A woman that gave him the impression she wasn’t like anyone else he had encountered since he’d been lying on this concrete ditch. “Who are you?” His voice calmer but still slightly on edge hit her with a familiarity she could never forget.

“I’m… I’m Roni. I own a bar a few blocks from here, it’s called “Roni’s” As she briefly paused to take a breath she heard him mumble “Sounds self-indulgent” And there it was, that sassy tone that always made her tongue spit fire in return and a thin film of desire dropping slowly and coating her eyes. “Sounds catchy” she corrected him and decided politeness wouldn’t do her any favors anymore. She walked towards him on a steady and almost forceful manner but that startled the long haired man. He swung the knife and missed her neck by a few inches. Regina wasn’t playing anymore so she grabbed his arm mid air and twisted it. His fingers released the grip on the blade with great agony but unfortunately that also made him loose his balance since he was no longer leaning against the can or the wall.

He fell on her. As if he was surrendering his being to her, that’s what it felt like to Regina for a split second. Her body quickly took charge over her emotions and she held him tightly in order not to fall on the ground. His rough beard scrubbed her neck; his tangled locks fell on her face. All for a couple of seconds but that’s how long it took. For him to regain his balance for the most part and for her to change her demeanor. She was still helping him standing up, seeing his face up close now, an exact copy of her….her…. _her Rumple_. She noticed he was having trouble standing up on his own and upon further observation she realized something was wrong with his leg.

“I need to walk you through the entrance of the alley, I really need to check your leg” She motioned Henry to grab him by the other side and help him get relief from the pressure he was applying to it. Curiously enough he allowed it. It might have been her soothing voice; it might have been his discomfort, who knew.

“So are you a nurse as well miss bar owner?” he said as she was squatting to take a closer look at his injury.

“No but I’ve tended lots of wounds in my life. Can’t trust drunks to remain peaceful” she said absentmindedly while the cogs in her brain were working. She recognized his old wound. The exact same wound he had from shattering his leg. Although this time around seemed that the problem was a cut on it, a deep cut which was infected and -as she would imagine- made the pain almost unbearable.

Resuming her position she looked him in the eyes “You really want to know why the “lad” and I are here?” It was mostly a rhetorical question but he nodded nevertheless, never unlocking his gaze. “We know you. I mean, we believe you are a friend of ours even if you don’t remember it now. Your name is Weaver. We think you’ve been in some sort of accident but it’s all right. We want to help you” He narrowed his eyes ready to jerk his hands away from their shoulders but she continued. “I have two big comfy couches at the bar, hot water for you to clean up, food and drinks and the luxury to not ask you for rent. I can also take a look at your wound, what do you have to lose? Although I’m pretty sure the scraps you get from the fast food trucks and restaurants they dump around here and the cold that pierces your bones at night is amazing, don’t wanna deprive you of such a privilege” she squinted letting her voice trail full of sarcasm, smirking. His gaze slithered towards her lips as he huffed. The brunette with the nice hair was sassing him too much for her own good but she also had a point.

“If you let me take my knife with, I’ll come” he stated.

She raised her eyebrow and agreed. Left Henry holding him for a while as she picked it up from the ground a few steps behind. Flipped it quickly as she approached him, made it so she was holding the blade end and offered him the handle. He splayed his fingers open and wrapped them loosely around the blade. Inadvertently he grazed her own, observing her reactions. She didn’t even flinch. Sliding them slowly towards the handle he took it and put it at its usual place, tucked secure between his leather belt and his worn out jeans.

_Impressive that cheeky one._


	4. Chapter 4

Around double the time it took them to get to the alley, they reached the bar. Her employees couldn’t run it without her permission so ever since she went missing it remained closed and thankfully intact. A warmth he had missed engulfed the homeless man the moment he stepped inside the establishment. He heard the feisty one explaining where the essentials were and giving instructions to the mellow one. He’d apparently be dressed with some old sweatpants and a hoodie of hers for the night, his clothes would be washed first thing in the morning and while he would shower at her room upstairs she’d make him something to eat. Sounded good to him. He went up the whirling staircase with the lad who showed him everything and disappeared inside the room. Henry came down the stairs with a blanket and after he left it on the couch he went at the bar, sat at a stool and watched his mom preparing a burger with whatever ingredients were preserved in the fridge.

As if he took the phrasing “the walls have ears” literally, the young author spoke like he and his mom were sharing a secret from the universe. “So….is it really him?” he almost whispered. She looked at her room’s door before turning her attention to him.

“Yes. It’s him” she let out and even though Henry knew it deep down her certainty still took him by surprise.

“Mom I don’t doubt you, believe me but how can you be so sure?” Regina stopped her preparations and placed her arms on top of the bar, looking her son with earnesty and kindness.

“Are you sure you want to know Henry?” He understood what she meant and a fleeting thought urged him to decline but he didn’t let it take over.

“Mom, I don’t pretend to know everything, especially about human relationships and you are my mother so technically I should say no but….I saw the way you said goodbye to him that night. The only thing that matters to me is your happiness. And honestly….his as well” Regina grabbed her son’s hands and squeezed, trying very hard to not get emotional.

“Okay” she cleared her throat “first you have to know that when a shape shifting spell occurs, it affects the tone of voice and obviously the individual’s appearance but never the way they naturally smell. I recognized him when he fell on me. Don’t…ask me how I know his natural scent so well”

Henry coughed and stirred uncomfortably on his stool “I wasn’t going to but I can guess. _Anyway_ ” he emphasized to diffuse the tension “continue”

Regina resumed her work on making Rumple a decent plate to eat and continued. “He doesn’t have any magic, I didn’t sense anything. That can be because the Dark One is really gone and I always linked to his magic…” she pondered furrowing her brows “but nevertheless his wound would have healed by itself gradually if he possessed any kind of magic, especially one he couldn’t control due to his memory loss” As if she forgot an important detail she took a steep breath and looked Henry in the eyes this time “Oh and his open wound is right on top of the mark of his old wound!...Don’t ask me how I know about that either” she let her voice drop and cracked the egg she was going to fry open.

“Mom I get it” Henry smiled and proceeded on letting her know he’d be leaving soon. Fortunately for him the place Jacinda, Tiana and Lucy used to reside in was bought by Tiana after the curse broke. Most of his clothes were there since he basically had moved in immediately. It was all working out, Henry was being optimistic.

Regina placed the full plate between them but when she spoke she sounded a bit worried. “You know we’re going to need some people Weaver knew to come back here and help us right? Until he gets his memory back. He needs familiarity to jolt it and we need to protect him, keep an eye on him” Nervous fingers tapped on the surface of the bar until Henry’s hand lovingly cupped them.

“Don’t worry mom. Operation Golden Phoenix is on the go. And our operations never fail” he smiled wide. As Regina observed the glint in his eyes she felt hopeful. That was his gift, always making her believe in the impossible, always giving her hope. Unbeknownst to them their current state could be observed by the freshly showered man who had just closed the door behind him.

“So I see you made good on your promise” he said as he approached the bar, sitting at the stool next to Henry and dragging the plate dead center in front of him. An open burger with a fried egg on top of it, seasoned well as far as he could tell and some fries on the side.

“That’s the best I could do without much fresh ingredients.” Her voice warm, her gaze sweet, only detected by her Prince. Henry took that as a cue for his departure, the man waved an obscure goodbye by waving his hand in the air briefly and Regina went to show him out and hug him goodnight.

Upon her return she noticed he had placed his knife besides his by now half done meal. His eyes never left the plate; he was placing an almost ceremonial attention on his meal. Regina couldn’t help but drink in his features she could see so clearly now… His long hair combed to the back, still damp, framing his face so beautifully. His beard, a very new characteristic on him for her, now neat and almost shiny. It becomed him. Her eyes lovingly took in every wrinkle, every moment his mouth made, the color of his eyes she dreamt night after night…  He finished his plate without looking up although his voice suddenly boomed “Look lady, just because your boy toy left for the night, it doesn’t mean I’m replacing him. I ain’t fucking ya”

Regina felt her surprised anger bubbling up, her eyes widened but shot daggers at him nevertheless, her jaw clenched and with a swift move she reached for her bat and dropped it on the bar, the loud thump startling him. “Listen DEAR. If you ever even touch me without my permission, this bat will be the one giving you painful kisses all over the body. And you don’t wanna know where your precious knife will end up. Understood?” she snarled.

Her voice let alone her threat could have sent any other person running out the door but not him. He slowly looked up and when their eyes met he broke a crooked smile that made Regina’s heart pump faster, the familiarity of it...  “Misunderstanding. Forgive me?”

Regina put up her act to perfection, rolled her eyes and after some fake deliberation she said a simple “Fine”. Awkward silence fell between them and her mind tried to find ways to break it. Luckily she remembered his wound so she suggested he’d go sit on the couch and wait for her and her first aid kit.

As he was settling down, relatively away from the bar, Regina began making her magical paste. This kind of infection needed a hospital visit and she preferred not to get involved with the dreadful red tape of it all, taking care of Rumple would be her responsibility and their friends, it was too risky to get very involved in non magical people’s lives and their systems. When she was done she went to him holding fresh bandages with the paste layered upon them. “This will help the infection recede and disappear and your skin will be good as new in a few days” she said as she sat at the edge of the coffee table and rolled the bandage around the lower leg with precision. As she was holding his leg up it occurred to her some small talk wouldn’t hurt so she blurted the first thing that came to her mind while looking at his legs “I’m sorry for the old gym wear, it’s all I had that could fit you. All worn out and black…”

He chuckled softly “I like black. And it’s comfy” That made her smile.

As she was finishing up her task he spoke again “So can I ask you something?”

“Sure”

“Is the young lad your boyfriend? Hook up? I don’t know what you call him” Regina laughed because she remembered Kelly making the same mistake. Apparently their bond was pretty obvious to the outsiders and Henry was indeed a good looking man, her precious boy. Plus she was slightly flattered that she would be considered a woman that dated young men so they could keep up with her. _If only you knew…_

“No Henry’s nothing like that, he’s a good friend. Has a family and all, maybe you’ll get to meet them. All set” she said as she lowered the pant leg.

As she stood up ready to say goodnight, he looked her in the eyes and spoke again “Thank you… You said that Weaver was a friend of yours right?”

“Y—yes, yes he was” The question took her by surprise.

“So what kind of friend was he? You seem to care a lot about my well being since you apparently think I’m him…”

Regina was startled but she tried to play it cool as usual, Roni was an unfazed chick she reminded herself. “He was checking out for bad crowd in the bar being a detective and all, getting his drinks here from time to time since the police station is pretty close. We just had a couple of happy hours together, that’s all”

The man raised his eyebrows “Oh… well that’s… that’s good to know” he smirked and laid his head on the large and curiously soft couch arm, tucking himself under the blanket. He closed his eyes and just stayed there. As Regina was hovering above him confused, he said simply “Aren’t you going to sleep? I’m tired. Please turn off the lights as you go upstairs”

She really wanted to know what he meant by that smirk but between him being infuriating as usual and her having to be chill about it, she didn’t have that much of a choice but do as he said. “Goodnight” she said in the darkness before going up the stairs and got nothing in return.

Rolling her eyes she eventually walked up, reached her bed and splayed her limbs all over it with a sigh. Looking at the ceiling, her mind drifted away, her body trying to relax and release the tension of this crazy day. She realized that out of every bizarre thing that have happened to them over the years this was the strangest and out of all the complicated dynamics their relationship had, this was most definitely the most tangled judging by external factors. It occurred to her that this was the first time she really knew more about a situation than him. The first time she’d be the one hiding her true identity from him, being the magical one, having control. Whenever she used to dream of having that kind of power over him in the past, it always made her excited -a worthy goal to obtain. Now it only made her sad. Because it was also the first time she was fully aware that she loved him. No tricks, no buts or ifs, no emotional repressions, no traces of revenge. She loved him and she only cared about his well being.

Then her mind drifted suddenly to what they both thought it was his happy ending. _Why wasn’t he with Belle? What happened to him?_ Her heart started to ache so she stopped thinking about it. She swore to herself she wouldn’t think about _that_ again unless it was necessary. Off course she was worried about him and his fate. She wanted to protect him and do what was the best for him. In the meantime though, she’d just… have him close. To her and her alone.

The thought made her chest go up and down in waves, her eyes turned watery:  _She had missed him so much._


End file.
